New signing Gustavo Scarpa will have to wait to make his Nottingham Forest debut.
The Brazilian’s arrival on a free transfer from Palmeiras was announced earlier this month, but he is not eligible to feature in the New Year’s Day clash with Chelsea at the City Ground. The first game he will be available for is next Wednesday’s trip to Southampton.
Scarpa has made a positive early impression since linking up with his Reds teammates in training. He made the trip to Greece for a winter training camp during the World Cup break and was able to get some minutes in friendlies, including catching the eye with a cameo appearance in the 2-1 win over Valencia.
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His first competitive minutes in the Garibaldi could come in a crunch clash with the Saints. Premier League rules state clubs can register new players for Matchweek 19, which starts on January 2, meaning he cannot play before then.
“He's not allowed because of the window,” said head coach Steve Cooper, ahead of Sunday’s match. “We have to wait until the window opens. He’ll be available as soon as the window opens.
“We're not thinking about that too much. It's great to have Gustavo with the group, he’s training hard, but the real focus is on the guys who are available at the moment.
“When that changes and he is available, we can cross that bridge. But he’s had a good settling in period now and is enjoying life in Nottingham, I hope.”
Premier League rules state: “All clubs have the ability to register new players to be eligible for Matchweek 19, which starts on 2 January 2023, as long as they submit the required completed documents by midday of the last working day before their match in that round. This season, 1-2 January 2023 are considered as working days.”
Forest host Chelsea looking to bounce back from Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United, which ended a three-match winning streak in all competitions. They are, however, sweating on the fitness of Jesse Lingard, who was forced off in the second half at Old Trafford.
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